Barring something totally unforeseen this offseason, the four AFC North quarterbacks in 2021 will be the same four that started last season and especially with it now looking like Pittsburgh Steelers will be returning for an 18th season. With Roethlisberger now all but guaranteed to play for the Steelers in 2021, many NFL analysts and fans around the league now consider him to be, at best, the third-best quarterback in the AFC North division behind the likes of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.
In a recent segment on the NFL Network, former NFL players-turned-analysts Willie McGinest and LaDainian Tomlinson both revealed their AFC North quarterback rankings three weeks ahead of the 2021 NFL league year getting underway and both have Roethlisberger ranked third behind Jackson and Mayfield with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in last place.